OKLAHOMA CITY — This afternoon, George Karl touched on a variety of subjects, as George Karl is known to do. But perhaps the most-uplifting quote the Denver coach said was, simply, “We think we can beat this team. …

“The whole thing is – the process is only beginning (to determine) who’s going to come out of this series. In a loss, the list of good things you did isn’t very long, but I think the list of good things we did in the first game was pretty long.”

Karl said today’s Nuggets practice deserved an “A-minus” grade. He said there was an intense, focused attitude by the players. Kenyon Martin was said to be quarterbacking the defense with playoff intensity.

OKLAHOMA CITY — There has been much ado, perhaps even a hullabaloo, about the Nuggets allowing 72 points to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Heading into Wednesday’s Game 2 (Denver is down to Oklahoma City, 0-1), Nuggets coach George Karl brought up the notion of overreacting.

“We did some things we really wanted to do against them, so do you want to change up and take more concern about Westbrook and Durant scoring big numbers?” Karl asked aloud after today’s practice. “Or do you want to make sure you keep your foundation of what you definitely want to do against the team? I personally think it’s a game of little adjustments than bigger adjustments.”

Karl said that Wilson Chandler was Denver’s best defender on Durant, but it’s likely that Danilo Gallinari will start on Durant, while Chandler could spend some time on Westbrook. But Karl wants more from both guys on the other end (even though Gallo did score 18 in Game 1)

While the two-headed point guard system seems to be working for the Nuggets and is fun for the fans, do you see the Nuggets being able to keep Felton for years to come? If not, do you see a possible trade, say to Minnesota for the rights to Ricky Rubio? This would allow the Nuggets to keep the pace up.—Doug, Centennial

Doug,

Nuggets coach George Karl certainly hopes to keep Raymond Felton long-term, he’s said as much already.

Ultimately, I don’t think the issue will necessarily be money in this case. It’s going to be whether Felton is fine with playing from a reserve role, backing up Ty Lawson. Lawson is the player the Nuggets have wanted to be the starter, and he’ll continue to be developed for the role.

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.